Macaron Troubleshooting Tips

So you’ve followed the recipe, but your macarons look nothing like what you expected. They’re cracked, pointed, splotchy or look like fried eggs.

What can you do?

Here are some tips from ChocoParis to help figure out what went wrong.

If the macaron shells are cracked and have no feet it means the batter was overmixed. The batter should have the consistency of “molten lava.” It should form a ribbon when dropped from a spoon but not be too fluid. One too many strokes with the spatula and it’s game over.

If the macarons do not spread out but retain their pointed tops, the batter was undermixed. Keeping in mind the note above, there should be no streaks of unmixed almond powder in the batter. When dropped from a spoon, the batter should quickly absorb into the mass of batter in the bowl.

If the macarons have no feet it may be because the egg whites were not aged and the macarons were not allowed sufficient time to form a “skin.” Always used egg whites that have been aged at least 24 hours, and always allow the macarons to sit for at least 20 to 30 minutes until they are dry to the touch before putting them in the oven.

If the macaron shells are splotchy this means the almond powder is too oily. Dry the almond powder in the oven at low temperature for 10 to 15 minutes prior to mixing with the icing sugar. Take care not to overmix the almond powder and icing sugar in the food processor.

If the feet of your macaron spread out sideways, that means the oven is too hot. Turn down the temperature slightly as soon as the feet start to form and keep a close eye on the macarons. You may also open the oven door at regular intervals to keep the temperature from getting too high.

If the macaron shells are hollow, the egg whites were overbeaten. Beat them at low, then medium speed, and don’t overdo it.

Hi, so I have a couple questions. Why do my macaron feet spread and the macarons are thin and flat?
Also the other time I made them they formed feet and looked perfect but the inside was hollow, how can I get rid of hollows?
Any feedback would be appreciated!

So your egg whites were too stiff, then you mixed everything a little too far. Probably only a few turns too many, which is why you still had feet. Many times, over mixed macarons will have tiny feet, but be flat.

And the hollow structure is from 2 things. 1: Your egg whites were over beaten. They should still be glossy. and 2: You may have pulled them out of the oven too soon. If they aren’t fully cooked the sugar structure inside will often collapse when they are removed from the heat.

If the feet are bursting out, your oven is too hot. We often preheat our ovens a little higher (roughly 5 degrees) so that when the macarons go in, we can turn the oven down to 300 and the oven doesnt have to produce heat to get back UP to 300.

It also sounds like the eggs are overmixed. And they are under cooked.

Hi! Coco, after years of trying to eliminate hollows from my macarons, and getting very, very close, your advice may just be the last piece in the puzzle. I was struggling to stop my macarons from getting too brown. So far preheating at 5 degrees higher than desired and then decreasing the temp right before I put them in the oven has been working. They don’t have hollows and they’re not too tan/brown. I just wanted to thank you for this advice as I hadn’t seen it anywhere else

Hello Shirley,
A high level of humidity in the air can affect the formation of the skin. You could try letting them sit longer, say two hours, to see if that helps. The lack of feet could also be due to a starting oven temperature that is too low. Try increasing it a little until the feet form, then adjusting it down again. You’ll need to go by trial and error to find out what works for you. Good luck!

How can you tell if you’ve overmixed *before* baking? They crack within 4 – 5 minutes in the oven. Tried many different temp variations. My recipe calls for 280F for 16min. Even tried one at 250F and they cracked within 4 – 5mins. =/ The feets continue to form nicely, however.

I’ve allowed them to rest for 30 minutes, even 1.5 hrs. They are dry to the touch and when left out for really long, i can even slightly wiggle the top shell without it giving way.

Lastly, the writers of “Les Petits Macarons” suggested in their book: you can pop them in a 200F oven right after piping for 15 minutes (to harden the shell) then raise to normal baking temp for 9 – 11 minutes depending. The shells hardened fine, but when temp raised they began to crack.
Also another blogger mentioned she put them in her oven (on “warm” setting) for 10 minutes and the shell hardens. Same results.
^Have you tried or heard of these tricks?

You can usually tell you’ve overmixed the batter if it’s too runny. With overmixed batter, when you pipe the macarons, they will spread out flat very quickly. The batter should have a thick, lava-like consistency and the macarons should spread out more slowly.

I have never heard of putting them in the oven at 200 F for 15 min in lieu of letting them dry naturally, so cannot recommend this. Shortcuts are rarely a good idea, IMO.

Here’s what I suggest: Try again, mixing your batter slightly less than before to ensure it’s not overmixed. Pipe the macarons and let them dry naturally (anywhere from 20 minutes to one hour or more, depending on ambient humidity). Put them in a preheated oven at 325 F and watch them closely. As soon as the feet begin to form, lower the temperature to 300 F. Keep watching them, opening the oven door from time to time to adjust the temperature as needed. You may increase the temperature again when the feet are formed and the macarons have actually started to firm up. Sounds complicated, but once you find the technique that works with your oven, your macarons will turn out perfectly every time.

I tried to make chocolate macaroons today for the first time. They ended up having no feet and they were cracked ? but my batter wasn’t runny and it formed ribbons, so I’m having trouble deciding if my batter was over mixed or not?

Cakes and Bakes,
Not sure which recipe you used. In this recipe, add half the sugar to the bowl with the egg whites before you start beating, then once you have firm (but not stiff) peaks add the rest and beat until the sugar’s completely dissolved. Anything beyond that is overbeating.

I have a couple of questions, Hopefully you can help me, before I will kill someone ;-).

The thing is, I have a cupcake company now for 2.5 years. I also sell macarons, which have been made by a friend of me, but now we got into a little trouble, and so now I have to make them myself. Since a couple of weeks I have been trying making these little lovely delights. But.. In this couple of weeks, i have tried about 10 different recipes, 6 different oven temperatures (I do not have a electric oven but just a normal one), different almonds, etc etc. But not 1 time, I swear to god, not 1 time I was able to make them how they should be. I also measured the oven with an external temperature meter just to be sure.
I have a couple of things what goes wrong and keeps on coming back: My macarons keep one looking like little half balls. What I mean is that they are not flat whit beautiful feet, but they are really high and foam-ish. Sometimes they crack or something but I have never experienced macarons FLAT with FEET. I tried the oven very high but also medium, and very low. I tried the pierre herme way, But also the way when you add sugar right away, etc etc etc.

If your macarons are high, it sounds like the batter has been undermixed. But it’s hard to say what else might be going on without knowing which recipe you are using. Are you using the French method or the Italian method?
Please feel free to send a photo via email.
Macarons take a lot of trial and error when you are learning. You need to start with a reliable recipe and practice until your macarons succeed, adjusting your technique when necessary. For excellent guidance, I highly recommend Pierre Hermé’s book Macarons. I’m sure your macarons will eventually turn out just right!
Thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you like the website.

I have now tried 4 times, and still with no luck. I read Caroline’s comments and I feel the same way. I am willing to give up on Macarons. I think buying them would be my best bet.

I tried your recipe and your method and still had the same results. Then I tried with adding the sugar slowly, still had same results.
I also tried to getting the egg whites to a firm peak and then adding sugar, that method helped a bit but the tops were cracked.

I couldnt find almond mill so I was grinding my almonds to make a flour. Is that something wrong I am doing?

Hello Cakes and Bakes,
Macarons are notoriously finicky, and it can take many failed batches before you get them right. There is a an excellent instructional video posted on my chocolate macaron recipe page. It is in French, but even if you do not understand, it is worth watching to observe the chef’s technique.
I do not recommend grinding your own almonds as this will often result in an almond meal that is either too coarse or too oily. Depending on where you live, you should be able to find ground almonds in any supermarket that carries a good selection of baking supplies, or in a natural foods store. Good luck!

In the introduction you mention macarons that look like fried eggs but you don’t explain what causes this. I just tried making macarons for the first time, and that is exactly how they ended up looking, like a tiny macaron floating on top of a pool of burnt macaron batter. I guess next time I’ll try a lower oven temperature (my recipe called for 350F) but is there anything else I can do? I’ve baked tiered wedding cakes, think nothing of making homemade bread on a weeknight, and can whip up Swiss buttercream in my sleep. I know my way around the kitchen so I am devastated that my macarons turned out so horribly. I’m reading everyone else’s comments and WISHING my macarons turned out half as good as theirs did.

Hello Caroline,
As I mention in the troubleshooting tips, “If the feet of your macaron spread out sideways, that means the oven is too hot.” From what you describe, it sounds like your oven is much too hot.
Try starting at 325 F and then lowering to 300 F once the feet have started to form. You need to keep watching the macarons and adjust the temperature as needed (keeping the oven door ajar using a wooden spoon). You’ll eventually find what works for your oven. Good luck!

350! What recipe said that! I bake mine at 300 and I needed an oven thermometer because failed attempts caused me to wonder and I learned my oven was off 25 degrees.
I sometimes have trouble with wrinkled tops that some say are from underbaking. But when I leave mine in longer, they get dry and hard. I bake for 14 min. When I’ve tried 15– they are like eating a cracker. I wonder if I should lower temperature and bake longer.

I absolutely love macarons and decided to bake them myself. Sadly, my first attempt resulted in a runny batter, i guess my egg whites were over beaten and now at this moment, i am trying the second time. It’s been almost 3 hours and my macarons haven’t formed a skin!! I put a first batch in, it didn’t rise nor formed feet!! Please, do you have any idea why? is the weather a factor, i live near the sea about a few minutes away from home. Thanks 🙂

Hello Denise,
If the batter is runny, you have overmixed it (the batter, not the egg whites). Some say that humidity in the air can prevent the skin from forming, though that has never been my experience. I would say it typically takes quite a few more than two failed batches to master macarons. In addition to the troubleshooting tips, have a look at my tips for perfect macarons. Don’t get discouraged. If you persist, you will eventually succeed! 🙂

oh, thank you very much for replying. I have read your tips just now and remembered that the almond meal that i use was from a store that sells spices, nuts etc that they grind themselves. Maybe it was too oily,that’s what came to my mind 🙁 Anyway, i’ll try again when the weather’s just right coz it’s freezing here, haha 🙂

Hi, I run an inn on the water and we have had a very (rare) humid Summer. Time after time this Summer, the macarons, did not develop feet. I am following the same recipes I learned from classes in Paris. I have to believe that humidity does play a huge part in the skins developing, causing feet. I have heard the stories that the best French bakers toss out about 25% of their batches, as there are issues. This must be one of those issues. They still taste good, without feet, though! I am a firm believer of eating one’s mistakes LOL.

I put the macarons in a 300 degree oven and open the door periodically. However, when I use colour, the macarons often start to go brown around the edges and the colour (if pale) fades quite a bit.. Do you have any suggestions?

Hello Wendy,
The colour that you see initially when adding food colouring to the batter will always fade during baking. So keep that in mind and make sure you add enough. That said, some types of food colouring are simply not suitable for macarons no matter how much you use (liquid colours, for example). Powders or pastes seem to produce the best results. Personally, I prefer to stick to natural colouring agents such as cocoa powder or ground instant coffee. 🙂

Dear Francoise
I made macarons today. The problem was they looked so beautiful in the oven, nice foot, beautiful skin and shape, but before they’re done the skin became so wrinkle inside the oven ( looked like an old man skin). If it’s possible that I over beatt the meringue because last time, when I beat it just soft peak, it was runny. This time I beat it very stiff peak but still shinny.

Please help me solve this problem. I live in very hot and humidity country. Every time, the macarons spend much more time in the oven before they are done but I’ve never seen this matter before.

Hello K.Perthpeter,
Do you your macarons form a nice dry skin before going into the oven? This is a very important step, but may be difficult to achieve in a humid environment. Try letting them sit for a couple of hours before putting them in the oven until they are dry to the touch. Another possibility is that the dry ingredients are over processed, releasing too much oil from the almond powder. Be sure to process only long enough to mix the ingredients. Good luck!

I have same problem with shining but wrinkly top macarons while it’s in the oven I did leave it til the skin is formed and not sticking to my finger…it seems like the top shell is not thick enough when it’s baked…it’s like a very thin layer of shell n crumbles up easily

Thank you very much for replying. Actually, I did everything you told me, theskin before baking was dry so that I could touch it but I’m not sure if it was enough. I’ll let them longer next time. But I’m quite sure that the dry ingredients were not over processed because I have experienced with over and under processing before. Anyway, I will do as your advice and will tell you the result.

Hi. So my macarons are always flat and spread out by themselves when I leave them out before putting them in the oven. Before, my macarons did the same thing but after I put them in the oven, the feet rose but it was only on the outer edges (they look like skirts). Today, my macarons did not have any feet at all. The problem with my macaron is that every time I try getting them out of the baking paper, it’s so difficult because they always crush and it seems so impossible to take out.

I was wondering if aging the egg whites or having less egg white is the problem because I’ve only used two small egg whites and the other was just recently bought so it’s not aged 24 hours. My macarons are very thin too, how can I add volume?

I’m not sure if my other comment went through but I’ll submit again just incase. So this is my fourth attempt and I still failed. So the other day when I made macarons, they rose a bit and had a skirt. They were IMPOSSIBLE to take out because they always crush. I can feel that they have skin and it was quite firm. Today when I tried making my macarons, my feet never grew and I tried keeping my macarons in for longer amount of time but still never worked. I later found out that my oven temperature was having its own problems.

I’m just confused, why do my macarons spread flat very quickly and they are so thin and elegant, it’s impossible to take out?

Also do you have a recipe for macarons using cup sizes because I don’t have a kitchen scale around. :/

Hello Jacqueline,
It sounds like the problem may be due to overmixing, which would cause the batter to be runny.
If you are serious about making macarons, you really need to invest in a digital scale. Precision measurement is essential to success when it comes to macarons. Measuring by volume as opposed to weight is not as reliable.
Good luck!

Hola Francoise! I made my first batch this weekend. The vanilla batch came out with its foot and beautifully rounded without letting them form any dried skin. I noticed some getting a darker tan color on one side so I assume that the convention oven is not really flowing air properly. I didn’t let the white egg mature as recommended here (Thomas Keller’s recipe didn’t indicate this step so I just used room temperature).
The second batch made with dark chocolate didn’t form a foot and cracked after 4-5 minutes in the oven. Any recommendations on how to adapt the recipe to work with dark chocolate if possible?
Thanks for the amazing recommendations and comments. I’m determined to master these babies ????????

Hello Daymara,
Mastering macaron-making takes a lot of trial and error — so lots of failed batches, unfortunately! As I am not familiar with Thomas Keller, I cannot comment on his recipe. Usually when macarons crack in the oven that means the batter is over mixed. What do you mean by “dark chocolate” ? You mean cocoa powder, right? You might try using a little less, as using too much can spoil the recipe. I would also definitely age the egg whites.
Good luck! 🙂

Hola Francoise. Thanks for your reply. I tried your chocolate recipe today. I’m afraid that I undermixed the batter as it didn’t flatten after piped. I was afraid to keep folding and then overmix. I also noticed that I could feel the sugar granules in the beaten eggs. When I made my first batch I used the Italian technique for the meringue and the macarons didn’t have the granules. Any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong? They were mostly on their sides so I guess oven a little too hot. I will try again!

Hi, Francoise. I made another batch again today. The macarons look so nice when they were inside the oven, i.e., feet are there, but as soon as I took out the tray from the oven, the feet collapsed and gathered on the side of the macaron. Why?
Also, what does the egg white do when we mix it with the almond powder/icing sugar mixture?
I also want to reduce the sweetness of the shells. What would you recommend the proportions to be?

Hi Marissa,
Have a look at my chocolate macaron recipe. It’s a basic recipe with proportions that work. I do not recommend changing the quantities, as they are based on a tried and tested method. If you decide to experiment, please post back with your results. 🙂

I’ve been running into a problem with thin shells. The middle and feet are perfect, but I can’t seem get the the “egg shell” effect. My tops are more like a sheet of rice paper. I have tried leaving the tray out to dry for an hour, but the tops are still very thin. What can I do to make a thicker shell? I use Lauderee’s recipe.

When adding other ingredients to the batter, like green tea powder or cocoa powder, do I have to subtract powdered sugar or almond flour? If I’m adding a drink mix that has sugar in it, should I subtract equal amounts of powdered sugar?

Hello Penni,
Thin shells are generally caused by overmixed batter. Try to ease up just a little on the mixing. Trial and error is the key with macarons.
As for adding ingredients, keep in mind that any dry flavourings or colouring, such as green tea powder or cocoa powder, are added to the almond powder/icing sugar mixture before folding in the beaten egg whites (e.g. when using the French method). In the case of the drink mix, if it contains granulated sugar, you could also mix it with the caster sugar you incorporate into the beaten egg whites to make the meringue, subtracting the same amount of caster sugar. Good luck! 🙂

Hi Francoise, just wondering if you could help a newbie to macaron making.

I haven’t really tried making macarons from scratch yet as I’ve been ‘trialing’ my hand at it via the pre mixes boxes that Adrian Zumbo does for his macarons (selling in Australia). I know it isn’t the same as making macarons from a recipe from scratch but I thought it would be good practice. However, I’ve tried 3 times and i’ve still failed hopelessly. The premix essentially combines the meringue with water until thick/stiff before mixing the almond mix in, with a short pulse or two to get things ‘lava like’ before piping. There is no indicated time to let it ‘rest’ post-piping so I’ve typically thrown them in the oven at 140c-160c (first try 160c, second 150c and tonight’s third attempt at 140c).

I’ve had mixed results of failure. First time – absolute failure as i pulsed the almond mix/meringe mixture too much and so it was runny. The biggest nightmare piping etc – i’ve learnt nothing is worse than runny mixture anyday! Second try at macarons – they didn’t rise but they weren’t ‘hard/biscuit like’ like my first try – the runny macarons. They did have cracks on the top but some were more round and less cracked. And they still managed to meld together (all 3 times i’ve been making rasberry chocolate macarons).

Tonights 3rd try they rose abit etc, bottoms are flat so no bubbles as i tap the tray a few times at the bottom before putting it in the oven. but the roof was all cracked. Tonight I figured by lowering my owen from 150 to 140c that unlike my second macaron attempt the cracks would go away and the macarons would cook/set better inside (as the 2nd time i made them some still had very minor wet bases etc, not fully cooked). However, this was a disaster – the roofs were all cracked on every single one. And they are all hollow’ish almost, their just seems to be a void between the cracked roof and the insides. They were big, deep, caved in cracks. Even my second macaron attempt was better, so I can’t figure out how trying to ‘improve my technique’ has turned out worse. I beat the meringe/water mix for even longer to stiffen it as well.

I just don’t know what’s wrong? My meringe and water mixing takes 12-15 minutes as opposed to the 4 minutes quoted per the box/videos where it becomes ‘stiff’. Can it become overbeaten because it takes so long to stiffen? I figured if it i hasn’t stifened then it hasn’t been overbeaten? Or is it because I did not evenly mix/distribute the almond mix through the meringue? I figured that my previous attempts i had mixed around the almond with the meringe too much and the air had gone out, and that I should mix less or fold it at least so the air stayed in,and hence why my macarons weren’t rising, so this third time around I only did enough mixes for the dry almond mix parts to disappear. Is this responsible for my terrible results?

Or is it becuase my oven temperature was too low that they were hollow? I thought lowering the temperature meant less cracks and better setting inside, but it seems like i have alot more cracked this third time, than the second!

Any help would be great!! Eager to start on some from scratch-macaron recipes but I am put off that i can’t even get a properly nice, dome shaped macaron shell made from premix?! i’ve never really failed experimenting with baking and other first time endeavours so I’ve been quite disheartened that perhaps macarons just aren’t for me! I really love their flavours and flexibility, as well as their head turning attributes.

I also only have those small stove/oven combo units, could this be the reason? Is my oven or my mixer just not cutting it?

hey. i was wondering if you could help me out as well.
the 1st time i made macarons with color it was overmixed.

the 2nd time i didn’t add color it was a success for a newbie like me (it had feet, no cracks, looks pretty).

3rd time i made the amount of sugar and peanut the same, added gel food color, i didn’t think it was overmixed since it was easy to pipe and it wasn’t running like a pancake batter & didn’t have little dots or nipples but it didn’t form feet and it cracked.

4th time, i followed the original recipe(higher amount of sugar), used gel food coloring, same as last time it wasn’t running like a pancake batter and it didn’t have little dots or nipples but still it didn’t form feet and it cracked.

5th time today i used powder food color i figure maybe the gel food color was adding too much moisture. it started forming feet but it didn’t continue forming and it cracked.
i’m thinking maybe it’s the oven temperature?

all of those attempts i aged the egg whites & waited for the macarons to dry.

I have made so many batches, I’ve lost count. I have a scale and am very exact about measuring, food processing and sifting.

I just can’t figure this problem out. I’m trying to consistently get nice feet that don’t collapse. Problem is if I lower the temp (285) too much the tops of the macarons wrinkly like wax paper and the shells seem top thin occasionally. If I turn up the temperature (295) the feet collapse on most before I remove them from the oven. Even if I double pan them.

Tonight I tried yet again. I was sure not to over/underbeat the egg whites and I counted my strokes 51 to be exact when folding the dry mixture into the egg whites. I just can’t get the perfect feet.

Help please. If I increase the temp the feet collapse, if its too low the shells are a nightmare.

Hello Jolene,
Have you tried adjusting the temperature during baking? For example, start off high, around 325 F, then as soon as the feet begin to form, lower to 300 while keeping an eye on the macarons. Open the oven door as needed to reduce the temperature and keep the feet from spreading sideways. Keep the oven door slightly ajar using a wooden spoon if need be. Once the feet are set, bring the temperature back up again for the last 5-10 minutes. A lot of trial and error is needed to find what works with your oven. Good luck 🙂

Thank you Francoise. I tried this last night.
I started at 345 and waited until I saw a foot forming. The moment I did, I dropped the temp to 280 and left the oven cracked. The results were better but not consistently better. I’d say 1/2 the feet were better looking.

I’ve never been able to get a “straight” foot. They always protrude even if slightly. Is this normal with the french macarons? My macarons NEVER look like the pretty ones in the photos, but they sure taste good.

hi 🙂 I’ve made these cookies for a little while now. The second and third time I made them, they turned great. But now, they aren’t drying on the top, even after an hour or so of laying them out. I’ve tried letting them dry overnight (which they did dry), but when I put them in the oven, they have no shell and are very bumpy and weird.

I’ve lessoned the almond flour and I always tap the trays on the counters, but they still turn out the same. I always sift all the sugar and almond flour, but still, they are weird…They always take a very long time to dry for the shell on top, and they still turn out with indents and holes, and with no feet 🙁

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong… do you have any suggestions? thank you 🙂

I started attempting to make macarons back in February, for Valentine’s Day…my wife loves macarons. From Feb to Mar, I tried 10 times and of those tries only two came out right. I got frustrated and told myself ‘I’m done’.

My mind would not let me give up so I began researching…turns out I was not doing the macronage part correctly; I was not mixing until to the point of the “lava-like” consistency. From what I gather the meringue should ribbon at the bottom but not too much (runny). I let the macaron cookies dry in front of a fan for about 45 mins to an hour. I preheated my oven to 300 degrees and put them in. After 7 minutes I rotated my trays and let them bake for another 7 mins. I’m happy with the way they came out.

I have successfully made dozens of batches on parchment, and have recently spent a considerable amount of money on some Silpats & larger Aluminum Trays. Since the upgrade, the bulk of my batches are coming out with no base, do you have any suggestions as to why? They look perfect on the tray, and when they come off, they look like this

Did you “age” the egg whites for at least 24 hours and allow the macarons to form a skin before baking? Those are important steps.
As far as silpat vs parchment paper is concerned, my own experience is when it comes to macarons, parchment paper gives far better results than the silpat. I tried using a silpat once but the feet turned out hard and overcooked. All I can suggest is to use parchment paper whenever you make macarons, and use your new silpats for other things. Hope this helps! 🙂

Hello, I tried making macarons once but I totally failed and got it burnt because a lady said 300f degrees in a video, but since I live in canada I thought it was Celsius… I went on many different websites and they all said bake for 15 mins in 125 degrees Celsius. And another website said 151 degrees. I’m making them again with my cousin and I want to make sure I don’t burn them. Thanks in advance

Hello. Ive made macaroons a few times. Te past few batches are weird! The feet spread, the shells are hollow. I took the t on the spreading feet and reduced the temp and watched for them to form feet. When I took them out they collapsed and the feel just became all goopy. I live at high altitude and I have a high altitude specific recipe and sometimes it tuns out and sometimes it doesn’t.

Also, Im a teen and have limited recurses and money. When this happens, is there a way to save my batter?

Hi,
I have problem with macaron feet. They rise very high in the oven , a lot of bubbles. When i remove from the oven the feet spread out to the side.
The feet never grow vertically under the body.
I have tried italian and french method. I have also tried to age the egg white.
I tried baking at different temperature at 150, 140, 130C but the result still the same.
Please tell me how to fix it.
Thank you.

I had a question about the testing part with macarons. I was wondering if it’s ok to rest them overnight before baking to guarantee they’ll be dry enough? I ask because sometimes they take a really long time to dry and thought if they were left overnight for sure they’d be dry enough.

Could u please give me advice. My macarons are hollow inside. I tired to beat my whites less, tried different temperatures. Could it be that my oven is too old? I have oven thermometer too. They look good, with very high feet but hollow 🙁 i tried just too many times

I had this too, I found I was not doing the macaronage stage properly. I don’t fold anymore, I just mix and stir and scrape the bottom of the bowl and press the batter against the sides of the bowl until the consistency is right which I find is looser than “molten lava”. When it looks right, the batter should be a flat surface and look slightly sunken in, starting from the edge of the bowl towards the middle. I saw a picture on a website that shows it. I will let you know if I can find it.

I’m making Macarons for a birthday. All the Macarons are dark colours. Im using gel colours to achieve the required colour in both the Macaron and filling. However, the colour is coming off on fingers etc. Should I be using powder colours rather than gel ones. If so, could you recommend a brand that I can purchase in the UK.

Ok, I feel the need to share something that I never see in any forum or trouble shooting guide. It is really shocking that I never see this solution for lopsided feet. I battled lopsided feet for 3 months and yes, around 100 batches. Every website that addressed the issue said something different. Mostly about uneven oven heat which I was sure I had. I used different ovens, even commercial ones. They said to use a flat baking sheet, use 2 sheets, use THREE sheets, rotate the pans front to back, rotate top to bottom, one pan at a time, put a spoon in the oven door to let air escape, don’t dry macs on slanted service? is your oven slanted??? problems with ingredients, mixing, piping, drying times…. EVERYTHING. I must be crazy to go through so many batches trying to get it right. I even tried about 8 different recipes trying all these stupid suggestions. But I never get lopsided feet anymore, and I dont have to follow any of these suggestions. It came down to the first recipe I ever tried in the Bouchon Bakery book (which is not the recipe I use) but it said to start the oven off at 400 and after you put the macs in, turn it down to 350. It slapped me in the face reading that again and thinking if I turn the temp down to like 250 from 400 it would eliminate all uneven heating problems since the elements will all be turned off. And since hot air rises I put it on the lower rack and no more lopsided macs… EVER. Why is this not in any trouble shooting guide I have come across. What a shame.

I’ve Been making macarons for a while now and on the whole I’m pretty pleased with them. Although everytime I make them even when I vary the oven temp or cooking time the shells detach from the feet and the edges look dry and holey. I’ve tried varying drying times too but nothing seems to help

I have been trying with macarons every day for the past few weeks and only succeeded with 2 batches that looks like what it should be.

However my recent batches are having the same problem no matter how I managed the resting time and macaronage
(1) they formed with no feet although they were already dry to touch (2) skin were wrinkled and with hairline cracks.

Observed that these little devils rose nicely and tiny feet formed around 4 min until 6-7 min when the surface started to have cracks and became wrinkled when it starts to shrink. I used your recommended temperature.

Hi! My macarons never seem to dry. I wait for 20-30 minutes and after I still feel that the top is wet like the batter. I have made them several times before and they never dry. I decide to bake them after the 30 minutes and the final result comes out like a flat egg cookie with cracks on the top. What should I do? Thanks so much!

No, you should definitely not use wax paper when making macarons. Wax paper and parchment paper are not interchangeable. Wax paper is coated with wax, which will stick to your macarons. Use parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

I’m trying to make macarons however my shell keeps cracking and there’s no feet. You’ve mentioned earlier that this is caused by overmixing however this time when I made the batter and piped it out the tips remained so the batter was a little stiff and still no feet and shells cracked any thoughts.

How long do you let your macarons rest for? Are they dry to touch when u put them in the oven? It could be the temperature of your oven is too high (I have to set mine to 285 because it runs on the hotter side -I don’t have an oven thermometer though so can’t sa exactly what the inside temp ends up being).

Hi, is it a good idea to leave my macarons to sit in an air-conditioned room? Because when i made my macarons, they were not drying up and it was about 2 hours already, with all my fans pointing st them, still not dried. I think its because i live in a very humid country. I got impatient and i put them im the oven. When it came out, all i see is the feet spread out the whole pan, and there were the shells on top. They were hollow, too. Any tips?

I’ve read that the room should not be overly hot and humidity can really hinder the drying time so I think a dryer room is more important than cooler. An air conditioner doesnremive quite a bit if mousture from the air but it can amke the air very chilly and cuts in and out. Maybe a dry room would be better? Do you have a dehumidifier in your home or even in just a room? I might try that with a fan blowing over them from a distance if I had this issue.

Also, it seems from the sounds of the feet and that the macarons are hollow, that you might not be deflating the batter enough in the mixing (macaronnage stage). If you have lots of air left in the meringue portion of the batter, the air left in them will fly out the sides, making wide feet and make for a hollow shell. Try pushing the batter against the sides when mixing the batter to deflate the egg whites a little more. Then the less air left in will have a less forceful exit and will give you nice feet and gently rise the shell. I’m not too sure about this, but removing some of this air may also allow your piped macarons to dry out a little faster as well since more of the batter will be exposed to outside air instead of much of the batter being held up inside by moist air.

I’ve tried making macaroons but my batter turned out reeaaallly thick, almost like a cookie batter. I’ve measured out the exact amount of ingredients and took all the precautions but it still turned out thick. My beaten egg whites were glossy too and I beat them for around 8min based on the recipe I’m following so I don’t think it has to do with the egg issue. I really want to know what’s wrong so I hope you can help!

I’ve heard of this happening if the icing sugar has too much corn starch in it. Some cheaper brands will use corn starch to “fill out” their icing sugar and corn starch will absorb a lot of liquid. I would change that first. Also, I’m pretty sure that most recipes that call for a number of egg white are referring to large eggs. Egg size can vary and perhaps the eggs you are using are on the smaller side and you just don’t have enough meringue (the wet portion of the recipe) to incorporate all the dry. I would really suggest you use a scale and aim for each egg white to be 30-33 grams each. Also, 8 minutes to beat eggs seems to be way too long. You want them to be a moister, stiff peak, not a dry stiff peak. You won’t have any moisture left for proper macaronnaging (the mixing of the meringue with the dry ingredients) if you beat rhem for too long and I would say 8 minutes is about 3-4 minutes too long (or thereabouts…just basing it on how long it takes me to do it). If the first couple things I mentioned are definitely not the issue, I would pretty much guarantee you that your egg whites are being whipped to a much too dry stage.
Hope this helps 🙂

Usually, I never have a problem making macarons. Ive made them plenty times. However, this weekend I made 5 different batches and they came out horrible. The tops weren’t smooth and looked wrinkled when baked. The batter also seemed to appear thicker then the usual and no matter how many times I would turn it it wouldn’t get thinner. I started using a different brand of almond flour it seems to be a finer grind than the one I’ve used in the past, which I love it’s finer. I thought maybe it could be the brand? Thoughts? Please please help. What could have made them wrinkle?

I would say you might not be deflating enough air out of the meringue in the macaronnage stage. If you don’t remove enough air, it will forcefully fly out the sides, making the feet huge. Also, might be an oven temperature thing. Try lowering the temperature of your oven by 20°F once you see the feet form (open the door evey now and them can help too). This will cause the heating of the air inside the shells to be more gentle and they will rise more instead of jetting out the sides. Just my suggestion based on things i’ve had to do to fix issue that have cropped up with me. Hope this helps 🙂

Oh, and make sure drop your baking tray with the piped macarons on them on your counter or table a few times to help get even more trapped air out. Do this right after you’ve piped them, right before you set them out to dry.

Hi there! Was hoping you could help me identify whats wrong with my technique because i’m positively stumped! I’m having problem with my macaron feet, when i put them into the oven, i can see the feet developing nicely after a few minutes, but after a while i see the feet start to shrink and collapse down onto itself. At the end of the baking cycle, i do get some feet on my macarons but they are always very short. But other than that, the rest of the macaron seems fine, no hollows etc so i don’t know what i’m doing wrong.. I’m wondering if it’s my oven temperature that’s causing the feet to collapse down on itself during the baking cycle? Is it not hot enough to set the feet? I’m baking them at 150 Celsius (aka 300F). Thanks for your help!

Okay please help! I’ve mastered the cookie, literally or so I thought!! They look perfect I think my feet even look better than the ones I’ve saw. But they are usually always hollow, I mean I really have no idea what else to do here! I dont get the crust overload on the outside, that crust look. My feet go straight up and they look great… in lost lol :*(

Is my oven too low, or too high?! I feel like that’s the only thing it can be.. wahh… lol any info is greatly appreciated. ? I wish I could show you guys a picture, I’m I’m also sure you guys know exactly what I’m talking about lol! I’m at 6,500 elevation.

Why is it when I hand whisk the egg white mixture my macarons turn out fine? However, when I use the hand-held mixer I have to throw away the whole kaboodle–skin doesn’t form even after 2 hours, when baked no feet form, & macarons take longer to bake…it’s a disaster!!!

Please could you let me now when to add food colour to the egg whites as in the past I’ve added it half way through whisking the egg whites and the macarons come out streaky? I’m using a coloured paste that normally goes into fondant. Thank you.

Oven temperature likely too high. Try baking for longer on a lower setting. For me, I set the oven to 325°F and lower the temperature to 290°F once I put them in. Them my oven won’t need to “kick in” much to maintain the temperature. When the oven has to cut in to maintain the temperature in the oven, it really sends a blast of heat in there and can burn these delicate little treats.

Hi – I have at last achieve feet on my macarons – unfortunately my problem is now that the do not have crisp shells but are soft. I took them out of the oven after they stated to brown – was my oven too hot? should I cook lower for longer? Any help would be most welcome.

Hi! I made a couple batches of macarons and the most recent one I made was a big success! They had feet and we’re not hollow at all at matured nicely in the fridge! But when I look online at pictures of macarons some have very tall feet. Is there any tips for achieving these type of macarons?

Hi! I have been making Macarons using the Italian method, however, without fail, every tray produces hollow macarons and i noticed theres no “air pockets” between the shell and the feet, which i read was an ideal macaron.I have tried using higher temp (170c) and for longer baking times but to no success. I read that i may have over whip the egg white. How do u differentiate a firm from a stiff? Please advise. Thanks!

Hello there! I have been making macarons recently and they have been coming out a little weird. The feet are there but it feels like the middle part is under baked. The edges of the cookie however is really over baked and hard…???? Any suggestion? Should I lower the temp and increase time?

Hi! I’ve been test baking the same recipe today with all the SAME results. Rested the batch for an hour. Baked @ 285 F and all three recipes developed beautiful feet within 5 – 7 minutes. However my shell is never hard to the touch. I’ve taken them all out between 12 – 17 minutes and the top is only slightly firm. The thinnest crust firmed and it seems like a very “wet” cake. Delicious and beautiful macarons BUT soggy looking. Please help ????

Hello
Newbie to making macarons. I think I’m coming pretty close. My question is why are my feet so small? I do get feet but not very high ones. I think my entire cookie could rise a bit more. Thank you in advance for any help you can give.

Hi,
I keep having problems with under cooked insides.. the shell forms beautifully and i have very pretty feet and when i pull the macaron out of the oven to test it, it is full but not set.
I do put it back in for a few more minutes but it does not improve.
It just doesn’t set and I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong.
So when they cool down they are hollow.
I’ve tested baking at higher and lower – still doesn’t improve.
I’ve made batter more runnier, more thicker but to no avail.
I am aging egg whites.
Any advice would be much appreciated!

I have been making Macarons using the Italian method, however, without fail, every tray produces hollow macarons .I have tried using lower temp (130c) and for longer baking times,and also cook at (140c) but to no success. I have a very high % of humidity in my kitchen maybe cause the hollow macaron and this make the top of the sheel very fine and fragille .
Any advice would be much appreciated!
REPLY

I attempted at making macarons for the second time! But I got the same result: dry, flat, with many holes in the middle! I knew from piping it it would end up like this. It spreaded out wayyyy to fast.

I don’t know what it is, but after baking my first batch and seeing how perfect it looks with feet and no cracks I get sooo excited (FINALLY doing it right). Then right after removing it from the oven, I put second batch in and for some oddd reason it always comes out cracked and no feet at all. Not sure whether it’s the temp change from opening the oven. I’d appreciate your help and TIA

Is your second batch from the same mixture that had to wait twice as long to get in? If so, I have had that issue every single time I tried to “batch bake” my macarons but from the same mixture. It seems the mixture just changes too much. I have to make a batch and pipe them and while they’re drying, make another new batch from scratch and then pipe them and leave them to dry.
If you are starting your second lot from scratch, maybe try increasing your oven temperature by about 20-30°F after removing your first tray of baked macarons and let the oven reach that higher temperature first. Put your second lot in and then decrease the temperature after you’ve shut the oven door. The element in your oven may be cutting in too much to maintain your ideal temperature after having the oven door open for a while taking out the first bunch that it is pushing out too many bursts of high heat during the second baking process. By preheating your oven again to a higher temperature when you put the next batch in and then turning it down, your oven will maintain a steady temperature.

Hi friends
I have a question. When I make my macarons using the right recipe, I pipe my macarons and then let them sit on the counter for an hour or even more, but I never get a skin on my macarons. I just don’t know what to do…

Can anyone tell me what would cause the bottoms of the macarons to have holes in them? Mine look like they sat on a wire rack and now there are lines of missing cookie on the bottoms. I can supply a picture! The bottoms are not smooth and uniform.

Hi. why does the second and third batches of my french macarons cracked on top while the first batch was perfect? they all came from the same batter. Is it the temperature or the batter sitting longer in the bowl? I used the same resting time and oven tempt for all 3 batches.

Hi,
I attempted macaroons today and after 4 tries they finally looked like a macaron, however after about 6 hours they still looked nice but when you touched them they completely melt in your fingers, you can hardly pick them up. Help. Why went wrong?

So my macarons look perfect in the oven, perfectly smooth and great “feet” but once they cool the feet disappear. I feel like they are underbaked but the bottoms are slightly browned when I take them out which seems overdone so I don’t know what to do. I feel like it might just be that my oven is super weird and always cooks stuff super fast on the bottom but not the top, so I put them on two pans to insulate a bit and moved the rack up to the top and its still happening. I don’t know how to fix this! Any help is greatly appreciated!

I cannot thank you all enough! I’ve made so many failed batches of macarons I lost count and almost gave up completely! I’ve tried both the French and the Italian methods and both stumped me real good. I kept a getting cracks, flat feet and the most annoying Hallows! I kept thinking, people who make perfect macarons have got to be aliens lol. No Joke! But after reading majority of the comments here and learning from everyone’s experiences, I can finally say that I’ve got it down! I went with the italian method, followed all the steps, let my macarons dry for 30min to an hour depending on how wet they were. Baked at 300°F. Set time for 15mintes, once I saw the cookies start to rise and develop feet I immediately drop the temp to 285° and opened the over for a good minute to let some heat out. I noticed when I didn’t do this, my cookies would form a hill and crack or the feet would fall flat like the form of an egg! Now that I got these steps down it’s so much better! Bake them all the way through the 15minutes and watch out for huge feet. If i notice the feet were growing too big i would open the oven door and let some heat out once more . Now I’m Team Italian Macarons and I get them perfect everytime! Thank you all so much once again. May you all solve your macaron issues as I did <3 for pics Follow @sugar.inspired.gu on Instagram 🙂

Hey, I’ve tried making macarons once. I realized I did a few things wrong, but I’m hoping for a little advice as to which caused the issues. I mixed the egg whites quite a bit, and accidentally added the vanilla too early, I did the steps as correctly as I could after that, I don’t believe I overmixed the batter, I did the figure 8 method and it worked well (I believe). I piped them out on parchment because I didn’t have a mat, but it didn’t wrinkle too badly. I left them to sit for quite a while, at least an hour, the skin formed nicely and the shell was smooth. I popped them into my oven, at 300. The feet formed somewhat quickly, at first looking okay but quickly spreading out. I baked them for about 20 minutes, but had to put them in again because the bottoms were still wet and stuck to the parchment. They looked like fried eggs, and were completely hollow inside the shell. Suggestions? I’m thinking of lowering the temp and beating the eggs more gently.

Please help me I am desperate. I’ve been experimenting with making macarons and after a WHOLE lot of tries, I finally got it to the right consistency but the only problem I’m facing now is browning around the edges of the Macs.

I have tried lowering the temp that didn’t work…
Tried putting a pan on the rack right above.
I’ve tried convention…as well as convection.

I’m also having problems with the color. When ever I would color it a nice bright pink after I take it out the oven it’ll be an ugly darker type of pink:(

Please let me know what I can do to get rid of the browning of the edges. I would really like my Macs to be picture perfect. Thank you!